John Deere material is highly collectible, and nothing is more
ubiquitous than their book, "The Operation, Care and Repair of Farm Machinery."
It was published annually, with only a few exceptions, from 1927 until 1957.

The book came about when a John Deere advertising executive visited his
home town high school in 1926, and discovered an instructor using John
Deere wall charts to explain the design and construction of farming equipment.
The Future Farmers of America and other agricultural organizations had
recently been founded and agriculture classes were being taught in many
high schools in the aggressively agrarian post-WWI era.

The company responded to the obvious need for a teaching manual by offering
editions of 'The Operation, Care and Repair of Farm Machinery' free to
teachers in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country.

Early editions featured horse-drawn equipment such as walking plows, and
other early equipment such as grain binders. As time progressed, some of
this material was dropped and features on balers, combines, and gas-powered
tractors were incorporated.

The books are all designated by edition, but not date. According to the
John Deere archives, the appropriate dates for editions are:

First Edition

1927

Second Edition

1928

Third Edition

1929

Fourth Edition

1930

Fifth Edition

1931

Sixth Edition

1932

Seventh Edition

1933

Eighth Edition

1934

Ninth Edition

1935

Tenth Edition

1936

Eleventh Edition

1937

Twelfth Edition

1938

Thirteenth Edition

1939

Fourteenth Edition

1940

Fifteenth Edition

1941

Sixteenth Edition

1942

Seventeenth Edition

1943

Eighteenth Edition

1944

Nineteenth Edition

1945

Twentieth Edition

1946

Twenty-first Edition

1947

Twenty-second Edition

1948

No edition

1949

Twenty-third Edition

1950

Twenty-fourth Edition

1951

Twenty-fifth Edition

1952

Twenty-sixth Edition

1953

No edition

1954

Twenty-seventh Edition

1955

No edition

1956

Twenty-eighth Edition

1957

The company ceased publishing the book after 1957.
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